Wednesday, March 19, 2008

April Fools FA - information post

April Fools Fat Ass 25k and 50k



Join the Vertical Runner Sunday morning trail group for the 2nd Fools FA.

Who: Trail runners
What: April Fools Fat Ass fun run (25k and 50k)
When: Sunday, April 6. Meet 6:45a, Start 7:00a.
Where: Starts at the Happy Days parking lot in the CVNP.
Why: To run some of the best trails in the Cuyahoga Valley not named Buckeye Trail.

For those familiar with the area, the Fools FA course is the same as last year with two loops: a 12.5 mile long and a 3.25 short loop. Click here for link to map. Order of trails:

Long loop (12.5 miles)
Start Happy Days
Ledges trail (group photo at Overlook)
Pine Grove
Connect to Kendall Lake
Lake trail
Cross Country trail
Salt Run
Lake trail
Connector to Ledges trail
Ledges trail
Return to Happy Days

Short loop (3.25 miles)
Boston Run trail

History: Last year on April 1st, a few runners joined with the Vertical Runner Sunday morning trail group for a trail run. We called it the Fools FA. Sixteen runners started on a rainy morning. Most ran one circuit (25k) and three runners finished the entire 50k or more.

This year we plan to do it again. It's a trail FA run with no aid provided. Runners can easily use their vehicle for resupply.

All loops start and finish at the Happy Days parking lot. Bring your own fuel and drink. Mid-way through the long loop is the restroom/water point at Pine Hollow parking lot on Quick Rd. The course is FA friendly and most runners will be fine carrying one water bottle and a few calories. The long loop will take the faster runners around two hours to complete. Mid to back-of-pack runners closer to three hours.

This course is entirely on trails with a mix of rocks, dirt and mud likely. Between the Cross-Country and the Salt Run, the course spans the entire elevation change that the Cuyahoga has to offer. This course is also parts of miles 64-75 of the Burning River 100 mile race.

Everyone is welcome. A late start is possible at Pine Hollow, meeting the group at the 6.75 mile mark at 8:15-8:30a.

Though challenging, most runners could finish the Fools FA 50k in five to seven hours. There will be a clipboard to record your finish times. I imagine there'll be a post-run gathering at the Winking Lizard.

Click here for the link to the maps, or click the map below to download. The color coded map illustrates the route.

3 Comments:

Blogger Brian said...

Lloyd - Looking forward to the run!

1:42 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I am hoping to make it.

3:43 AM  
Blogger Trisaratops said...

Oooooh...this is tempting! How tough is the 25K if I haven't done much trail running? Should I hold off? Been sticking mostly to roads lately, but this sounds fun!

8:11 AM  

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